


Courting gift

by Isimile



Series: Fluff Bingo [7]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Dwarf Courting, M/M, reference to other pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23378461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isimile/pseuds/Isimile
Summary: Nori prepares to pick up his craft again to prepare a courting gift for Dwalin-----------For the Fluff Bingo prompt 'Crafting'
Relationships: Dwalin/Nori (Tolkien)
Series: Fluff Bingo [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671601
Comments: 1
Kudos: 79
Collections: Just Write! Fluff Bingo, Minions' writings





	Courting gift

Nori walked through the market in Dale, looking for stalls selling the wares he was looking for, especially in the quality needed. He could have gone to the market in Erebor, of course. It had been set up for a while now and was running smoothly, and he knew where to get what he needed there but he was not ready for anyone to know what he was buying. Here is Dale, he was just one of the dwarrow from the neighbouring country. In Erebor, he was well known and easily recognized unless he took steps to conceal his identity, which could make buying what he wanted more difficult.

He was still doubting his decision and yet the idea had not left him alone. He liked to blame it on the rest of the Company. After all the pining during the journey and the drama after they had finally reached Erebor (curse the propensity for goldsickness of the Line of Dúrin!), Bilbo and Thorin were finally courting. Between Bilbo and Dís finally arriving, Thorin had been talked around to allow Kíli to begin courting his elf. Glóin and Bombur had been reunited with their lady-wives and their children when the first caravan, led by Dís, had arrived. Dori was distracted with his own courtship with Balin, so distracted that he had not noticed yet how the older prince was looking at Ori and how much time he was spending at the forges when he was not staring. Fíli was almost finished with his courting overture, in fact. Nori made a mental note to seek him out, make certain he understood that he better be serious about this courtship or Thorin would have to start preparing Kíli or Dáin’s boy to take the throne.

Dori’s distraction also meant that he had not questioned Nori’s decision to go to the market in Dale, so there was at least that advantage.

Finally he found a stall offering the wares and quality he had in mind. Their clothes was finely woven, the different colours for clothes and thread offered intense and vibrant. Nori just stood there for a good while, looking at everything. It was a long time since he had had the opportunity to work in his craft, never mind with materials this fine. Few had had the means back in Ered Luin to buy clothes with elaborate embroidery. What little had been needed, for example for the royal family, had been bought from long established craftsmen and women, not young bastards only starting on their craft. To have enough to feed his brothers, he had turned his attention to other, less legal manners of getting money.

Even now that they had retaken Erebor and there was considerably more wealth to go around, returning to his craft had not occurred to him. As spymaster, he could utilize what he had learned during the years and keep his family and his new home safe. He also did not have the patience to deal with the politics involved in working in a guild.

No, professionally, he was not interested in returning to his craft. He had found just as much satisfaction in protecting their people. His brothers were just as happy with what he made from materials that caught his eye at the mountain when the fancy struck him sometimes. But a courting gift was expected to be in one’s craft, especially when the gift was for a member of the royal family.

He looked through the lengths of cloth, hoping for inspiration, something that would suit Dwalin. Nothing too fancy. He was a noble, yes, but he saw himself more as a fighter, a soldier. So something of good quality but also sturdy. He picked thread in Dúrin blue and the violet of his own family already, then kept browsing. White was out, far too easily damaged. Nothing too colourful either, it was supposed to be something he would actually wear (If he accepted).

Then his eyes fell on a light grey fabric. It looked almost silver when he picked it up to see how the light affected it. The coloured thread would be more eye-catching on it, serving to better show off his prowess in his craft.

Nori nodded to himself, then turned to catch the merchant’s eye.

~*~

He’d swiped one of Dwalin’s coats from his room to get his measurements. Fortunately he’d picked up enough from Dori that he did not need to ask him for help in sewing the new coat and was even able to change it somewhat from the coat he’d borrowed. The long, straight lines he’d decided on would show off Dwalin’s stature, his height and his shoulders. He ran his hands over the cloth, imagining how it would look on Dwalin.

Luckily for him he was home at very different times, compared to his brothers. During the day, when they were at work, he could work on the embroidery in peace, without having to worry about questions he would rather not have to answer. He was very apt by now at ignoring Dori but he had a far harder time ignoring Ori. Better to make sure he would not even notice.

~*~

Dwalin stopped in the doorway to his apartment. Something was different. Instinct told him that he was not alone, that someone else was in his rooms. He pulled Grasper and Keeper, then slowly stepped further inside. There was no one in the receiving room, no sign of anything having been moved and searched either, but the door to his bedroom stood open, even though he was certain he had closed it this morning.

When he was close enough to the doorway to look inside, he saw a coat laid out on his bed. Blue thread at the collar and the cuff formed traditional geometric forms. It seemed to be good work but he was far more interested by the other symbols. On the front, on a height that it would be over his heart, was the crest of the Line of Dúrin and on the back, there were symbols signifying his achievements, similar to his tattoos. It had obviously been made for him.

“Do you like it?”

Dwalin relaxed at the well-known voice. “Nori. What are you doing in my rooms?”

“Do you like the coat?” Nori repeated, stepping out of the shadows.

He did not understand what this was about but decided to humour Nori. Perhaps Balin had ordered a coat for him from Dori and Nori had been sent to bring it? He came into his bedroom and looked it over from up close. “It’s a beautiful coat.”

Nori cleared his throat. “Then will you accept my courtship?”

Dwalin whirled around, certain he must have misheard, but the barely hidden apprehension on Nori’s face told him otherwise. “Yes,” he hurried to say when he realised how long he’d been staring. “Yes, I accept.”


End file.
